As more people venture into space, it has become imperative to address the health effects of spaceflight. Afshin Beheshti, professor of surgery and of computational and systems biology in the School of Medicine, focuses on how radiation and microgravity damage the human body.
Humans have evolved over millions of years to optimize themselves for Earth’s gravitational force. Once someone is no longer subjected to that force, major health issues arise. In addition to gravitational effects on the body, space also subjects astronauts to high levels of radiation. Background radiation in space is five to 10 times more damaging to the body because it is always present and happens over time.
“It’s not just bone loss and muscle degeneration,” says Beheshti. “Exposure to microgravity and radiation causes downstream health effects, from cardiovascular to neurological issues. And the longer an astronaut is in space, the worse it gets.”
To combat these issues, Beheshti focuses on mitochondria—the parts of the cell that produce about 90% of the energy required by the body to function. The number and function of mitochondria decrease as you age, which is why diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease are more common later in life. By testing different supplements and medications that target mitochondria, there is potential to mitigate the damage on the body from both spaceflight and mitochondria-related conditions on Earth.
“We’re seeing that mitochondrial damage from space travel is extremely similar to mitochondrial damage in things like cancer and post-acute fatigue syndrome,” says Beheshti. “With millions of people around the world experiencing diseases like this, any treatment we test for mitigating damage in space could directly impact those people on Earth.”
Because space is an accelerated model for aging and various diseases, what would take years to study on Earth in a lab could potentially happen in a matter of weeks in space.
“Some people ask why we put all this effort into space when very few people ever go there,” says Beheshti. “Not only is it fun to work on, but anything you do in space can easily translate to Earth. From portable dental x-rays to handheld Bluetooth devices to potential treatments for ALS, space research affects more people on Earth than could ever actually travel to space.”